As beautiful and marvelously curated as someone’s Instagram and social media feeds may seem, their lives are far from perfect. Trust me. One of the many downsides to social media is how at times we find ourselves comparing our lives to others based on what they’ve published on their social media profiles. It’s easy to fall into this trap but when you think about it, it’s even easier to snap out of it once you realize what others are posting and publicizing on their social channels is only half of the story.

Let’s be real, a lot of it is a front; a small portion of their lives which they want others to see, but never the full picture. How do I know this? Because I’ve been on both sides of the coin. I’ve had very rough days and all I’ve posted have been positive thoughts and gorgeous images on my feed, and I’ve also found myself looking at someone else's feed and playing the comparing game, to later find out their lives weren’t as perfect as they portrayed them to be.

Everything has its pros and cons and though one of the downsides to social media is creating this false expectation of reality, there is also a lot of good in it. It all depends on how you end up using your social media profiles. You can use them to pretend, lead a fake lifestyle, and hide behind a social media profile made up of smoke and mirrors OR you can be real, genuine, honest, and utilize social media as a mean to connect with, inspire, and empower others by sticking to your truth. This being said, there’s a number of social media accounts which I love to follow because of the good, raw, and blatant truths they put out into the world: @halfthestory, @iamwellandgood, @thebalancedblonde, @lauraposadalifecoach, @humansofnewyork, among others.

The first one, @halfthestory, began when founder, Larissa May (@livinlikelarz), was juggling two lives as a student at Vanderbilt University and a fashion blogger/entrepreneur, covering New York Fashion Week. Behind her perfectly curated Instagram feed were 17-hour workdays, debilitating anxiety, and sleep deprivation. Boy, I can relate. As such, #HalfTheStory was born as a desire to highlight our most human attributes on social media, to reignite human connection in the digital space. In essence, #HalfTheStory is a global community which encourages individuals to share the parts of their lives which exist outside of the standard social media story—life unfiltered.

Adrianna Naomi x #HalfTheStory

For this season of NYFW, I am absolutely honored to be collaborating with #HalfTheStory to share a different side to this globally acclaimed fashion event in New York City. You can find my story on their Instagram account but I’d also like to share it with you here, as I believe it speaks to my truth as a blogger and as an individual.

Tomorrow I'll be doing a full day take over on @halfthestory's Instagram Stories, where I'll be giving everyone a behind-the-scenes look at a blogger's day during New York Fashion Week. I highly suggest you follow along as it'll be crazy fun to share this experience with all of you! Now, without further ado, here's my NYFW #HalfTheStory:

NYFW may seem dreamy from the outside (and in certain ways it is) but there's another side to the story; Fashion Week can also be as superficial as it gets and for someone who's starting off in the fashion blogger world, the experience can be quite daunting.

As a blogger, certain events during Fashion Week may appear to be more like popularity contests. "What are you wearing?”, “From which designer?", “Who did your hair/makeup?", “What’s your Instagram handle?”, “What’s your follower count?”, “Did you get invited to this event/fashion show/preview/after party?” Stop.

"Stop" is what I said during NYFW last year. I left an influencer event as I couldn't take it anymore. Maybe it was the fact I was walking around in heels all day and my first show had started at 9:00 AM on a Saturday morning. I had already been doing the Fashion Week marathon for three days in a row and I hadn't even eaten that day, running around from one show/event to the next. Suddenly, I'm in a room full of bloggers/influencers feeling judged, sized, and measured. Seriously, why was I even doing this?

The moment you find yourself questioning why you're doing what you're doing, something is wrong. I had stretched myself too thin, balancing my full-time job and trying to make it to all these events to show face and network; all in the name of putting my name out there. In all honesty, it wasn't worth it. The exhaustion, the amount spent on Uber rides, the stress/anxiety derived from trying to be in so many places at once.

I still love Fashion Week, but I learned my lesson. I'm being very picky with the number of events I'll be attending this season and I'm going because I have a genuine interest or a previous relationship with the brands/agencies/designers hosting. Also, my blog has evolved to be something more than just fashion. It's a space where fashion forms part of how I inspire and empower others. My piece of advice for anyone attending NYFW, 1) Be kind to yourself and make sure you're doing things for the right reasons 2) Don't be afraid to say "No", you don't owe anything to anyone 3) Do you and wherever you go, be sure of your worth

You already know this, but in case you didn't, I am incredibly grateful for your support and always open to expanding on topics and answering any and all of your questions! Feel free to reach out to me with any thoughts on the above and be sure to keep an eye out on my NYFW shenanigans via @adriannanaomi.

LIFESTYLE. WELLNESS. SELF-DISCOVERY.

— Adrianna Naomi —

As a Digital Media & Branding Consultant, Lifestyle, Wellness, and Self-Discovery Writer and Influencer, I empower all who surround me to be the best version of themselves they could be by surrendering to the present moment and embracing their truest potential.